It all started in a religion class when the students had questions about daylight savings time.

The discussion turned to talking about light, itself. The religion teacher then asked the students to do an at-home individual class experiment, and to document their findings and report back to the class how their experiment tested out for them.

Betsy came into the living room, crying and frustrated that her religion experiment failed. She had tried to carry some light from the hallway into her dark bedroom. Betsy realized that no matter how tightly she closed her hands, by the time she opened her hands, she found nothing but darkness.

Betsy was very young and couldn’t understand. Her mother came and explained that light couldn’t be carried that way but light could move around if you carried the source of it.

Her mother gave her two examples of the source of light. She handed Betsy a flashlight and plugged in a lamp. Betsy could now keep the source with her without being in darkness.

There are people who go off into the darkness of the world carrying the light of Christianity in their own hands. They work very hard at compassion and selfsacrifice. They try to get people to love their neighbors without knowing about or loving God. Their hands open freely, but the “light” has disappeared.

You can fill empty stomachs with food, but still leave people hungry in spirit.

Some people believe that it doesn’t matter what you believe, it’s the way you live. We need to be continually nourished by the Word of God through our Bible, churches, and religious programs in mind, body, and soul in order to maintain.

We who have had Christianity for so long, often forget where the light comes from. Our soul is the most important part of us in need of that specific nourishment.

We sometimes take the light for granted, within time we find shadows of darkness.

At times we may find ourselves surrounded in trouble. Unfortunately, trouble comes from many sources  sometimes from our enemies, and sometimes from ourselves. We may at times stumble and fall because of our sinful nature. The greatest lesson we can learn is that regardless how we ended up in our particular mess, Jesus’ strong arms are there to help us up again.

When we sit in darkness and turmoil, Jesus will be our light. Jesus never promised our life would be easy. He did promise to each and every one of us that He would be there for us in good times and bad times.

Jesus will support us and lead us back into the light. Jesus is our strength and power.

We can’t carry the light and shed light unless we get it from its source.

We can’t have Christianity without Christ. You and I can’t rid the earth of darkness, no matter what good works we do. Only Christ, the true light of the world, can do that.

We can carry Christ, the light in our hearts and minds and our wills. He shines through us.

Just like Betsy, we cannot carry the light in our own hands. We need to know Christ and shine through Him to bring the best of Christianity into the world around us.

Then Jesus said again unto them, “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12.